Twilight nowhere in sight for Western wildfires

"Finer fuels allow fires to burn more rapidly and have more active fire behavior," Sullens said, adding that the fuels buildup explains why fewer fires have burned more acres altogether.

Fire officials would like to have a wet fall, but Sullens said that's not in the weather forecast for the near future.

The West's wildfire season started in earnest in Colorado during an unusually warm and dry March. A wildfire charred 6 square miles in the foothills outside Denver, killing three people and destroying 23 homes.

Southeast of Portland, Ore., people camping and hiking near a blaze spreading in the Deschutes National Forest near Sisters were evacuated as gusty winds whipped the fire through dead trees.

The fire area was estimated at about 3 square miles, or 2,000 acres, but KTVZ-TV reported a flight to get a precise picture was canceled by mechanical problems. Four vehicles at a trailhead were destroyed Sunday.